Welcome to Derek Versus Lonely Planet

My name is Derek. I’ve been living abroad for the last four years, pounding English into the heads of enthusiastic Korean children. Over the course of four years, I have had life changing events, seen some amazing sights, met some amazing friends and of course, tasted some amazing food. I’m hoping to share some of that with you, and any other random thoughts and experiences that might pop into my head.

Like most travelers, one of my first purchases when I decided to move abroad was to pick up a travel book. Of course, there are many different travel books available to the general public, but one of these seemed to be the Holy Grail of travel books. I am speaking of course, the book that shares the name of this blog, “Lonely Planet.” I bought my first Lonely Planet: Korea, followed by Lonely Planet: Seoul over four years ago. Whenever the wife and I want to go out, we scan through the pages to find a restaurant, hotel, or attraction that might interest us and off we’d go. However, I’ve had a few beefs with this book over the years. Although they are a great guide for beginners, I feel as though, they have missed several facets of their reviews, either through lack of time or experience.

My goal for this blog is to expand on their experiences or simply advise you to seek other options. Fortunately, there are lots of excellent options in Seoul and Korea, and I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with you! The guides we will focus on main is Lonely Planet: Seoul and Lonely Planet: Korea. However, since my wife and I are avid travellers, we will be providing experiences and review from places all around the globe. We will always use the Lonely Planet travel guides, and will try to provide you with the best information possible. As always, please comment and leave any suggestions or comments.